A Steady Hand, A Steady Heart
by InkRoze
Summary: The story of a loyal sharpshooter and her complicated alchemist told in 100 one-sentence prompts.


**100 Prompt**  
 **Couples Challenge**

Yeah, this is really old, but I love it. I decided to put it up, anyway.

Thanks to Sapphires Frost for editing!

Enjoy!

 **1\. Love**

It was a well known fact among people around her that Riza Hawkeye didn't have time for nonsense such as romance.

 **2\. Truth be Told**

The first time she met him-at a function her father had been invited to-she told him exactly what she thought of his charming smiles and wandering eyes... and where to shove them.

 **3\. Wait, What?**

She had known her father took on an apprentice, but it wasn't until he showed up at her doorstep with two full suitcases that she realised who it was.

 **4\. Want**

"This room is perfect for me," he exclaimed as he poked his head into _her_ room, ignoring the guest room door she was holding open.

 **5\. Name**

"Elizabeth, Eli, Eliza, Lisa, Lizzie, Rizzie-no- _Riza_ ," he finally decided, grinning, and somehow, it stuck.

 **6\. Date**

He never seemed to be without a girl, and, turning it into a personal game of sorts, she counted each name he forgot.

 **7\. Age**

Two years later, by the time he was eighteen, she had counted eighty-four.

 **8\. Jealousy**

She resented having to share her father with this insufferable man; there already wasn't much of her father left for _her_.

 **9\. Anger**

She gave both him and her father the cold shoulder for weeks after she was forced to receive her painful tattoos.

 **10\. Mine**

She found solace in her shooting range, until he barged his way in.

 **11\. Our**

Eventually, after muttering abuse such as, "Are you even looking at what you're hitting?" "You missed," and "Are you _blind_?" she grew used to his presence.

 **12\. Heartbeat**

Her father died of a heart attack the doctors later said was stress-induced.

 **13\. Breathe**

Her shock was palpable, her eyes wide and her breath short until he carefully took her shoulders and steered her from the room.

 **14\. Speed**

She shut herself off and breezed through the funeral as fast as she could.

 **15\. Slow**

He had never felt time drag as it had when he watched her eyes glaze and stare straight ahead the entire service.

 **16\. Touch**

She felt his gentle hands on her back trace her tattoos, and demanded he erase them with a voice sharp enough to hide the waver in it.

 **17\. Agony**

It was only after he burnt the burden from her back-heard her try and fail to hold back her screams-that she began to trust him.

 **18\. Flowers**

She thought she'd end up hating flowers after the long parade of sympathy bouquets in her face, until he brought her a single, white lily.

 **19\. Heaven**

She quietly stared at the flower for hours after, and knew-somewhere deep inside herself-that she had fallen hard for that cheeky smile.

 **20\. Hell**

It was enough for her, she resigned herself, to be counted as "one of the guys," as long as she could protect him while cast in the shadows of other women.

 **21\. He**

On his nineteenth birthday, he left to join the military.

 **22\. She**

The next day, so did she.

 **23\. He said, she said**

"Will you stand by me?" he asked her, officer to subordinate, and she said, "Always," woman to man.

 **24\. Hope**

She threw herself into training, and she realised about two months in that she hadn't thought of her father in days.

 **25\. Awkward**

It was hard to explain to their superiors why she was shooting at him, but it was a hard habit to break, and she never, _ever_ missed.

 **26\. You and Me**

They may have been kept in separate areas of the academy, but they always made certain to find time to speak.

 **27\. Missing You**

On the first anniversary of her father's death, she temporarily fell into a quiet, hidden depression that she never let him see.

 **28\. Betrayal**

Every new woman, even the supposedly off-limits cadets, was a stab to her heart, but she pressed on, bouyed by the fact that he didn't- _couldn't_ -know how she felt.

 **29\. Hurt**

He always felt cold when she pushed him away and shut him out of her true thoughts and feelings.

 **30\. Exasperated**

He could tell when she was keeping things from him; after all, he had become incredibly familiar with it during these long years.

 **31\. Glory**

The instructors and generals spoke of victory in battle as a beautiful, breathtaking goddess, but she knew there was no glory in war.

 **32\. Irony**

Once, just _once_ , she wished he'd turn his attention to her the way he did with other women-or even his new "best friend," Hughes-but she locked that part of her deep inside herself and focused on her training.

 **33\. Game**

"It was only friendly competition," he defended his new friend when he turned up for dinner one day with a black eye and a bloody nose; only to leave dinner with bullet holes in his coat and a wide grin.

 **34\. Got you**

"What are you hiding from me in that cute little blonde head of yours?" he asked her, and watched amusedly as she first turned pink, and less amusedly when she began to open fire.

 **35\. Together**

They graduated on the same day from the academy, with honours.

 **36\. Team-up**

They were successful in the military separately-the ambitious flame alchemist and the tough-as-nails sharpshooter-but _together_ , they were feared.

 **37\. Defend**

He never knew just how many times she'd protected him from a distance, and she did everything she could to keep it that way.

 **38\. Tonight**

"Stay with me," she asked quietly, her hands shaking as she averted her eyes from his steady gaze, "because I don't want to be alone tonight."

 **39\. Over the Moon**

She quickly, happily became his confidant-even over Maes Hughes-and he became both her purpose and her anchor in the horrors of war.

 **40\. Daylight**

The dawn was the hardest part of the war, as they were faced with another day of bathing their hands in blood.

 **41\. Candlelight**

She watched him fall asleep at his makeshift desk after studying maps for too long, his face cast in shadow from the lone candle.

 **42\. We Belong**

They exchanged dull-eyed, haunted looks, and knew that there was no place in world for them now... but _here_.

 **43\. Take My Hand**

He never figured out how she instinctively knew he needed someone to pull him out of his depression, or how she managed to stay sane enough to do it.

 **44\. Forever**

It took the end of a war for her to be certain that she would help him realise his dream, and she would be there every step of the way as his shadow.

 **45\. Home**

They both stood at the gate to her manor, bags in hand, and uncertain how to proceed.

 **46\. Hot**

The first thing she did was have an hour long, hot shower; determined to stay under the cleansing water until her hands shrivelled up and the blood washed away.

 **47\. Cold**

The first thing he did was have a tall, cold drink; determined to ingest enough alcohol to blur his vision and erase his memories.

 **48\. Ill**

The first weeks were the worst, and they both ended up hunched over toilets and choking back screams, reliving horrific moments they left behind just days ago.

 **49\. Not the First**

Oh, she _knew_ she took a backseat in his mind to the much more alluring, fickle mistress of Amestris herself.

 **50\. Know Better**

She understood he couldn't afford distractions, and she reminded herself of that for years.

 **51\. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!**

"All of you," she raged coldly at the terrified potentials she was evaluating, "are woefully unprepared and under-qualified for protecting the future Furher."

 **52\. Tough**

A scant four officers-Misters Breda, Falman, Havoc, and Fuery-were skilled enough to pass her inspection.

 **53\. Change**

They decided-now that he was a lieutenant and she officially his subordinate-that continuing to live together was improper.

 **54\. Let go**

She quickly sold the house and moved them into two separate apartments with money to spare, trying not to think about how the walls would be painted, the shooting range turned into a garden, her father's study made a cheerful living room, and that she'd be _alone_.

 **55\. Sensual**

There was something about the way he smiled softly at her when they were alone that set her stomach fluttering.

 **56\. Everyday**

Their lives became a routine, and she followed it to the letter, knowing every day, every hour, every minute, pushed him further toward his goal.

 **57\. Yes**

After years had passed, she would eventually forget the first time he agreed to cancel a date and finish the stack of paperwork she demanded he complete.

 **58\. No**

She would forever remember the look in his eyes when he received the call that Maes had been murdered.

 **59\. Come here**

The first time she had ever hugged him of her own volition it was to calm him down from a quiet, dark rage, and to save her highly flammable furniture.

 **60\. Never Give Up**

His depression was nothing new to her, especially after the war, and like before, she shouldered his burdens as well as her own and kept going.

 **61\. For You**

In hindsight, it was funny how him bringing her flowers-white lilies-one evening, with no explanation and no further comment on the matter, was the only thing in years that could make her lose sleep.

 **62\. Hold**

He became more watchful and stood closer to her side during their everyday routines, as if he were worried he'd lose her, too, the second he took his eyes away.

 **63\. Honor**

"There was no honor in his death, Lieutenant," he growled, "he was slaughtered in cold blood, like an animal."

 **64\. With Child**

After Maes' death, Gracia did the best she could, but Riza often found herself babysitting Elysia in Roy's office when the widow needed a break.

 **65\. Don't Talk About It**

Roy nearly fried every well-wisher that came to him in the days after the murder of his best friend and comrade.

 **66\. Run**

He stormed out of his office, the air around him tense enough to choke on, his eyes blazing and his fingers poised to snap.

 **67\. Walk**

She followed him at a much more sedate pace; he wasn't hard to track, with the trail of destruction he left in his wake.

 **68\. Storm**

She caught him in the rain, desperately snapping his sodden fingers, attempting to burn something-anything-almost to the point of hysteria.

 **69\. Umbrella**

She held her umbrella over him and remained his silent support while he grieved, as she always had been.

 **70\. Open**

"I miss his incessant bragging," he admitted quietly to her, as he faced the office window.

 **71\. Sleep**

Despite Roy's descent into depression, despite the creeping realisation that there was something very wrong at Central, despite the brewing of a storm on the horizon, Riza slept well at night; she preferred to let tomorrow worry about itself.

 **72\. Insomnia**

She watched the purple rings under his eyes only grow darker as time went on and he was still unable to find any peace.

 **73\. Sing to Me**

His eyebrows rose at her request, but he complied without protest, and they sank into memories of nights under canvas tents, a time when they pretended his voice drowned out the sounds of distant screams and gunfire.

 **74\. Rhythm**

There was a subtle dissonance in their daily schedule, now that Maes was gone, and it set their teeth uncomfortably on-edge.

 **75\. Crash**

In all her years, she had never been as off balance and lost as the day she was forcibly separated from him to be the Furher's new secretary.

 **76\. Never Alone**

"I'm always watching," the homunculus threatened, his black shadows creeping up around her legs.

 **77\. Silence**

"Scream, and I'll kill you," false-Selim hissed in a thousand voices, "and then I'll kill _him_."

 **78\. Panic Attack**

The second she realised the homunculus had control of her-she was trapped; she couldn't protect him if she couldn't _move_ -was the most frightening moment of her life.

 **79\. Alone**

Later, she sobbed in the dark, pulling Black Hayate up to her chest and wishing-in a tiny, forgotten corner of her mind-that _he_ could do the saving this time.

 **80\. Completely**

As soldiers she had once called comrades turned on them, her acceptance of what it truly meant to be Roy Mustang's shadow only solidified.

 **81\. Scream**

"Are you or are you not the one who killed Maes Hughes?" Roy demanded, his voice worn raw.

 **82\. Break Down**

"I'll take care of him myself!" he shouted, his voice wild, but Riza huffed, "Like hell."

 **83\. Stand**

She was so close to killing the creature outright-even hanging by the neck as she was; she wouldn't have minded dying in return-when he appeared, a whole new level of fury surrounding him.

 **84\. Strength**

It took everything she had to hold her gun to his temple and demand he keep from killing that _worm_.

 **85\. Fear**

"You're better! You're better than that!" she shouted her voice shaking, an image of her father flashing in front of her eyes, the man driven mad by the siren song of flame alchemy.

 **86\. Cry**

She flinched at his bellow of rage, but her resolution never faltered: if he were dead at her own hand, what was left for her to live for?

 **87\. Please**

"Please forgive me," he said quietly as he turned around and lowered her gun with warm, steady hands and watery, apologetic eyes, but she heard, "I love you."

 **88\. All I Have**

" _I'll kill you_!" he screamed at the gold-toothed doctor, his muscles straining against the only thing keeping him apart from his bleeding lieutenant.

 **89\. Next to You**

She was shocked to see him blind after being forced into the portal, but it was quickly overshadowed by an intense wave of nauseous, stomach-churning relief.

 **90\. Laced Fingers**

When he was ready to fight, she held his hand and quietly pointed him in the right direction, as she always did.

 **91\. Again**

"You missed," she chided, echoing their many firing range sessions a lifetime ago, and he responded with an exasperated, "This time I really _am_ blind, Lieutenant."

 **92\. Moment**

There was only a fading wail as the One Who Would Call Himself God was no more, and all she could think was, "What now?"

 **93\. You Save Me**

"You've always been there for me, Lieutenant," he said softly, brushing a lock of bloody hair from her face, "It's time I was there for you."

 **94\. Fine**

When it was finally over, they silently revelled in the simplicity of just being _alive_.

 **95\. Lost**

Even though he was without vision, he never stopped trying to learn about his country; even going so far as to have his friends read long, boring histories and agriculture books to him.

 **96\. Depend**

It took _this_ for him to realise just how much he relied on his lieutenant; she continued her routines as if everything were normal, and despite his blindness, his work went without a hitch.

 **97\. Smile**

Her quiet, understated smile of relief was the first thing he saw, as soon as he opened his newly-healed eyes.

 **98\. Beauty**

In that moment, she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, as she always had been, and he carefully pulled her forward to kiss her properly.

 **99\. Say You Will**

"I said I would stand by you," she stated, subordinate to officer.

 **100\. Marry Me**

"Always?" he implored, man to woman, and she answered, "Yes."


End file.
